Lately, my bananas get these holes in them. We do not have mice. It seems like the skin & some flesh in a certain spot just disappears. What is it?

Christina Wells
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54 Comments

Smudge January 2, 2024
I have the same problem.
Could it be woodlice?
 
Damnroaches December 9, 2023
Most likely it is roaches! Roaches love bananas and they have been gnawing at mine everytime I bring some in, now I have a seal tight tupperware for this problem
 
georgie October 18, 2023
put a stickey trap next to banana and got 2 mice didnt think i had mice either
 
food52.com June 14, 2023
This is what I woke up to this morning! Gross! I have never seen a mouse dropping in my house, ever!! I have had traps set for three weeks (under suspicion of possible mice) but have caught nothing! I’m so grossed out ☹️! There were wrapped snack cakes sitting beside these bananas and this critter chooses bananas instead!!!!
 
Smarty March 4, 2023
Lately I’m having the same problem with holes in my bananas, I’m not finding dropping of any kind….HELP!!!!
 
Smarty March 4, 2023
I’m having the same problem for 3days, I’ve read similar comments, I haven’t found no dropping of any kind!!! I do r even wanna but bananas anymore!!! HELP!
 
Naelovesu December 21, 2022
I’m having this problem as I’m tying this. I can hear mice in my kitchen. I suspected it may be the bananas as someone else mentioned below. So far I removed the browning bananas and sprinkled peppermint oil in the area. Since then I haven’t heard anything from the pest.
 
banana_king August 2, 2022
I made an account here just to tell you all what I think this is, since only a month ago I was reading this thread to solve my own nighttime-banana-thief situation.

I found a bunch of these threads on the internet, with no one conclusively identifying the cause. So, a few nightvision camera purchases later, I've discovered that what we have is a very picky mouse.
Who only eats bananas. And avoids traps. And doesn't leave droppings.
It's real.
My proof: https://imgur.com/a/N7NHLs3
 
Bikerchic September 15, 2021
I would like an answer to that question too. I bought bananas yesterday and found holes like that going thru 2 competitor completely and a third one part way. They're perfectly round and about the diameter of a small ink pen. I don't think it could be a mouse making a perfectly round hole. Anyone have any other ideas?
 
Toad August 16, 2021
If you have 1 mouse you probably have 6 or 7 more around. Normally its just 1 or 2 who go out scavenging to get fat or bring food back to the nest.
 
Toad August 16, 2021
Mice love nibbling thru the skin of banana, and cleaning it out. Fermenting black bananas are irresistible.
 
Nats November 29, 2023
Lmfao you had me sign up just so I can reply to you lol yes mice love fermented Bananas Lmfao 🍌 🤣 I heard noise coming from the kitchen when I went to go look the banana had bites lol 😆 😆 🤣
 
Denise V. June 8, 2021
I thought no mouse and sure enough two weeks later found I had one. Trapped him. No more banana nibbles. You have mice!!!
 
Joey M. June 8, 2021
I was complaining about this before. I didn't want to face the truth, but I eventually found some mouse droppings. I got one of those sticky traps, caught it, and use vegetable oil to free it at the park near my house. The problem appears to be solved now.
 
ausielad June 8, 2021
this is exactly what is happening at our house the fruit is on the Kitchen table does anybody know what is causing this and how do i get rid of it
 
Joey M. April 25, 2021
Hey everyone,

I was asking about this problem earlier. I never found any signs of mice and I've had mice before so I know what to look for. I saw a comment somewhere online about earwigs doing stuff like this, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, I kept my bananas in the fridge for a while and the same thing happened to a mango I had left out. But after a few weeks I started leaving fruit on the table again and nothing has happened to them. I'm not sure what's going on, but I will get back to you if I learn anything more.
 
Cece April 21, 2021
I think it might be a House Centipede. I found that a deep hole on my banana that I was going to eat this morning. It looked similar to the picture shared by @Ashley and I remembered that I saw a big House Centipede running behind the stove last night. I think another personal had also commented on seeing a "Caterpillar like thing". I will investigate more but as far as I know I don't have mice in my apartment. By the way, I signed up just to comment on this thread. I was so freaked out to see the hole this morning and was glad to find that there were other people who have had the same problem and were discussing it.
 
Denise V. April 4, 2021
Yes, it is a mouse. I found 2 days after my post i had one mouse. Traps set, caught just one. Look under sink and other spots for mouse signs. I was adamant I did not have a mouse. The mouse could have come in and went back out its entry point and just didn't come back as well.
 
BChalf November 16, 2020
Are you in a tropical location? I just had this occur in an Airbnb in Hawaii. My picture on day 1 is almost identical to the original post. Day 2, I moved the bunch and left the sacrificial chewed on, no turds, banana. I hung the fruit basket by a belt in a separate part of the house with a sealed sliding door between. A banana in the bunch was 1/3 eaten in the suspended basket on day 3. Gecko, anyone? I think I saw the offender. It explains no rodent turds, which had me scratching my head.
 
Denise V. December 4, 2020
It is not mice. The last two times I bought bananas it did the same thing. I bought bananas last night. Washed them, and within an hour of washing them it had little tiny holes and an hour later a big hole. No mice! No signs of mice. I am in a residential neighborhood so mice is unlikely. I also sprayed the counter down.
 
Joey M. April 3, 2021
Hey did you ever figure it out? The same thing happened to me two nights in a row now. Other fruits around the bananas are undisturbed. There's a whole bunch if bananas here, but only one is disturbed per night.
 
Glenette K. June 4, 2020
The last two mornings I have woken up to find bananas eaten. I have oranges and several bags of chips in the same area and nothing else is disturbed. Also there are no signs of droppings anywhere on the counter
 
Roopa October 25, 2020
It is happening to our bananas on dining table. Do you know what is the issue? I don't see any droppings as well.
 
Joey M. April 3, 2021
This exact thing happened to me two nights in a row now. Did you ever figure it out?
 
Pat H. November 14, 2018
Happened to me twice recently. Bought some Decon and called pest company. My bananas were on the table.
 
Patricia S. August 17, 2019
The other day when I picked up half of a left over banana there was a caterpillar like thing that looked exactly like the inside of the banana ... it matched the inside so perfectly it's made me afraid to eat bananas. What was it and how common is this?
 
Lrlott0499 July 10, 2020
Same thing here the last three mornings I have found my bananas with a hole in them no one was here just me and my husband as far as I know you do not have miles however the mouse would have had to have jump pretty high as my table and chairs said high... Unfortunately I did not take pictures of the bananas but I am afraid to eat them
 
Elisha E. April 25, 2021
It’s a rat or mouse
 
Darika R. July 24, 2018
Did you ever figure out what it was? I'm having the same problem. But I droppings and it happened two nights in a row.
 
Lynn B. August 30, 2019
I’ve had this same issue with bananas in my kitchen, bread close to it and not bothered. Also no droppings and it has happened about 3 different times. Don’t see bite marks
 
Lrlott0499 July 10, 2020
Same thing here it scared me I just threw them away but it’s been on my mind for the last three days
 
Elisha E. April 25, 2021
Rat or mouse
 
Noni S. January 6, 2018
Sorry to all you but its a mouse! Just had it happen this AM and sire enough I found some mouse droppings. Looked just the same as your picture.
 
Denise V. December 4, 2020
Not a mouse it is something else.
 
Elisha E. April 25, 2021
Happened to me too and it was a mouse
 
ausielad June 8, 2021
i agree definately not a mouse or rat as there is no droppings anywhere
 
DeniseVHasMice January 21, 2023
You have mice and a very obvious ego problem. That is a give away sign of mice and there’s no way you could just say “I don’t have mice” .. you can’t KNOW that you don’t.
But you do.
 
chazzmor December 5, 2017
That looks exactly like what has been happening recently to our bananas. I've just put them in a plastic storage bag and leaving them in the fruit bowl, to see if it's a mouse or rat.
 
Ally November 25, 2017
H
 
Virginia March 26, 2017
You can try keeping the in the refrigerator once they have ripened a little to protect them. The "flesh" will keep fresh for several days that way even though the skin may turn brown.
 

Voted the Best Reply!

Sam1148 March 26, 2017
No mice, check. Maybe you have a rat?
 
scruz March 25, 2017
i have had bruised/rotten spots develop on my bananas, all on the same side. not a hole, but a bruise that develops after several days of having them at home (and not pressed against anything) and it must be cut out. it will get larger too as time progresses so i've been buying greener bananas than i usually had been.
 
Ashley March 25, 2017
This has happened to my bananas too! It was on the Fyffes brand. I've noticed it a couple different times and just thought it was due to the skin being weak in that area. It's very strange and yesterday morning 1 1/2 bunches had holes in them. I want to know what's causing it. One hole was really deep! Kinda freaks me out since we've been eating them before this happened.
 
Elisha E. April 25, 2021
A mouse or rat
 
Bikerchic September 15, 2021
The same thing just happened to me. I bought bananas yesterday and found holes like that in 3 of them. 2 had the holes going all the way thru them. I've never seen anything like it! They were perfectly round. I don't think a mouse or a rat would make perfectly round holes. I can't find anything on line about it except people asking what causes it.
 
BerryBaby March 7, 2017
Take one banana and put it in a plastic bag. Place it where you normally keep your bananas. If the plastic is torn open in the morning, you have an unwelcome friend. If it stays intact and the banana forms the spot it's in the banana.
 
caninechef March 6, 2017
I don't know about this one but at one point I would come home and find banana peels around the house. It wasn't until I realized that one of the dogs LOVED bananas that I figured it out.
 
Susan W. March 7, 2017
That's hilarious. I keep bananas and other fruits that are aromatic on a plate for this very reason. Diesel loves them all and is too tall for his own good.
 
Cece April 21, 2021
This made me laugh. :)
 
Kelly C. March 5, 2017
That is honestly so strange... Has it been only one particular batch of bananas that this has happened to?
Are you positive about not having mouse? I only ask because I had a similar issue, with cardboard boxes in my basement getting holes as well as some food boxes. No other signs of mice, otherwise. Suspected mice, put out some live traps, and caught nothing for a week... then voila, caught one after the other randomly.
 
amysarah March 5, 2017
There's a fungus that infests tomato plants and sort of eats through and craters their skin - maybe it occurs in other fruit too?
 
Mariana M. March 5, 2017
Could it be birds? The birds from the tree outside my kitchen window were flying into my kitchen when I wasn't around and eating my bananas.
 
Christina W. March 5, 2017
Thanks, but no. They're just sitting on my counter and the windows are shut.
 
Smudge January 2, 2024
I have the same problem
Could it be woodlice?
 
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